


The Swan Prince

by zoeteniets



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Swan Princess (1994) Fusion, Bisexuality, Bisexuality accepted, Historical Inaccuracy, Historical References, M/M, Robert Sugden/Rebecca White (mentions of), Robron Week 2017, Swan Princess (1994) References, The Princess Bride References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoeteniets/pseuds/zoeteniets
Summary: Our story begins once upon a time, in a land far away. Prince Aaron and Prince Robert have always hated each other, despite it being the dearest wish of their parents that they will one day unite their kingdoms in marriage. But after spending all their summers together their feelings for each other change and grow. Add a jealous witch to the story and you have magic, misunderstandings, and manipulations galore. This fic is inspired by the story of The Swan Princess made famous by the ballet Swan Lake which was also used as the story of the 1994 film The Swan Princess.





	1. The Red Prince

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution for Robron Week 2017! I have been working on this fic for such a long time and so I'm thrilled to be able to post it in a week that I know is going to be full of amazing fanworks! This fic is in three parts and the next two chapters will be published before the end of March. 
> 
> This fic is based off a terrible 90's animated film that I LOVED as a child. I am unable to touch anything without it turning to robron, and this film was born after a random impulse to go nostalgia-diving on netflix. If you also saw the film I would recommend a rewatch, but only after a few glasses of wine... 
> 
> Massive thanks go to Bess, Emma, and Lily who all read drafts of this chapter. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

Little Prince Robert was six years old when the Kingdom which neighboured his own was thrown into chaos. The King had died leaving his wife, Queen Chasity, and his two-year-old son, Prince Aaron, in charge of a kingdom. It was, therefore, unsurprising that they were keen to make alliances. And so, that summer Prince Robert and his whole family travelled across the land to reaffirm the friendship between the kingdoms.

Robert was a clever young man, much more clever than his older brother Andrew, or his sister Victoria. So, when the three siblings were introduced to the toddler prince he was very aware of what was really happening. Sure enough, his father later told his three children that in the summer months of each year Prince Aaron would come to live in their kingdom, in the hope that one of the children might fall in love with him and decide to marry him.

Robert decided there and then that the young prince would most certainly fall in love with him. For he was the smartest, the bravest, and most beautiful of all King Jack’s children. 

Except, that’s not how it worked out at all.  

For one thing, it was very difficult to play chess with a three-year-old. The first-time Prince Aaron had come to stay in their Kingdom for the summer Robert had been very excited about all the toys and books he wanted to show the young prince. He sat the child down and presented to him all the pictures in his books, and read him poetry in three different languages, while the little prince looked at him with what Robert thought was awe (although on reflection, might just have been confusion). He showed Prince Aaron all his marble chess pieces and introduced him to the rules of the game. He knew that it was unlikely that Prince Aaron really understood all that was being said to him, but he was thrilled to see that the boy took a particular shine to the black knight horse figure.

Thirlled to find his young charge so enchanted, Robert hurried off to his room to fetch some more horse and knight figures that he thought Aaron might like. He spent a good long time picking carefully through his toys, choosing a handful of his best figurines, and taking them back to the room where he had left the child-prince.

He knew there was something wrong as soon as he entered the room. There were sounds of screaming and crying, both from the child and from his nurse who had wrapped the boy up on her lap. As soon as the nurse saw him, the full extent of her fury was turned upon him.

“You!” she pointed a fat finger at him accusingly. “You idiot boy! You left the prince alone in here with all manner of dangerous things!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Robert protested, but she carried on anyway.

“I came in to find you gone and the prince with one of your silly chess figures in his mouth!”

“What? But I told him not to touch them! How dare he…”

And that’s when the nurse reached out and slapped him clean across the face.

Robert held a hand up against his burning cheek, too shocked to say anything.

“The Crown Prince nearly died because of you,” the nurse said to him, spitefully. “It is so lucky I got here before he choked to death. You should be ashamed of yourself, you foolish stupid boy. Pick up your silly toys and go.”

As he was gathering his things, it never occurred to Robert to complain at how the nurse had treated him; he was far too stunned. He picked up the black knight from the floor. It was still covered in the baby prince’s saliva, and Robert was heartbroken to see that it had smashed against the stone. The figure was still in one piece, but the ears of the horse had both broken off and there was a large crack running across the horse’s face. His once beautiful chess piece was now a sad, broken little thing.

He looked up at the crying child still in his nurse’s lap, and at that moment he decided that he hated the snivelling, whining, red-faced prince.

The following summer, his attitude towards the boy had not improved at all. Indeed, his mood remained cool for the next few years. However, when he learnt that Prince Aaron had begun his formal schooling, Robert began to nurture a faint hope that the young prince might finally have something of use to say. It also meant that he would now be travelling with his tutors, and not that horrid nurse.

The royal families all sent each other gifts for birthdays and this year Robert was quite anxious to find out what Aaron had thought of his gift. While most years he had sent whatever his father had suggested, this year he had carefully picked out a gift of his own choosing; a beautifully illustrated book of fables that his tutor had given to him when he was Aaron’s age.

He was sorely disappointed, however, when he asked the prince which of his birthday gifts he had preferred.  

“I liked the wooden sword that Prince Andrew gave me!” answered the boy. “I train with it every day. It is just the right size for me; I find it very easy to practice with. I’m getting better and better with it! Would you like to see?”

“No thank you,” scoffed Robert. “What other gifts did you like?”

“Princess Victoria gave me a set of new combs to brush my pony with,” Aaron said. “The groom says that the more time I spend with my pony the more he will like me and that maybe I might be able to train him to do jumps and tricks!”

“Yes, but what about _my_ present!” Robert pouted.

Aaron looked at him and paused. Then he said, “I was very grateful to receive it, and I thank you for your generosity.”

Robert stared at him is disbelief. The answer he had been given was clearly a practised response, given to all the courtiers at Prince Aaron’s kingdom. He doubted that he even remembered what it was that Robert had gifted him.

He angrily turned away and stormed off to his room, hot tears pricking at his eyes.

Clearly, the prince was a boorish brute in the making. No doubt he would turn out to be just like Andy, a fine soldier but too thick and slow to grasp the subtle art of court politics and intrigue like Robert could.

So, when Aaron invited him outside to play, Robert declined, saying that he had important work to finish. Then he said that he wanted to keep reading inside. Then he said he was dealing with imperative state business. And, over the summers, Aaron stopped asking.  

There was, however, one memorable occasion when Aaron was able to persuade Prince Robert outside to join him for a sparring match. Although, this had more to do with the fact that King Jack had told his son off for staying indoors too much, and for refusing to be a good host. So, Robert went outside, dragging his feet the whole way there.

How a fight between a fifteen-year-old and the eleven-year-old Prince Aaron was going to be fair he did not know. Although it turned out the young prince was remarkably efficient with a weapon. Robert used some of the more simple techniques that his sword master had taught him and Prince Aaron parried them easily. Robert then strengthened his attack, but still left enough opportunities for Aaron to attack him.

This did not go unnoticed by the boy-prince. “Attack me fairly, come on!” he shouted across to Robert, “don’t go easy on me!”

Robert was sure he’d regret asking, but since the boy had demanded it, he wasn’t going to hold back. Robert unleashed a full attack on Aaron, their wooden swords clattering discordantly in the summer heat. The little prince was clearly on the back-foot, and it didn’t take long at all for Robert to disarm him.

But then, all of a sudden, Robert found himself being thrown back as Aaron launched himself at him. Robert hit the floor with a painful thud, as Aaron tried to grab his wrists and pin him down.

Of course, that would be the moment that his brother walked over.   

“Good grief Robert, pinned by a boy half your size!” crowed Andy. “You really do spend too much time indoors!”

Robert angrily shook the boy off him, “It’s not fair, he cheated!”

“Don’t be a sore loser Rob!” said Andy

“But he…!”

“I did what I needed to in order to win the fight,” interrupted Aaron with far more pragmatism than Robert had thought him capable of. “It’s not my fault you underestimated me.”

“I did not,” said Robert defiantly. “I have the measure of you quite perfect, thanks.” He shook himself off and headed back to the castle, not even sparing a moment to look back at Prince Aaron’s stricken expression.  

…

It wasn’t until a few years later that Aaron had a chance to prove Robert wrong. While it had always been obvious to those around them that Aaron was closer to Andy in interests and Victoria in age, he had always found himself inextricably drawn to the blond-haired prince. He had assumed that it was a desire to show off and to prove that he had the makings of a capable ruler, and a chance to engage in a type of sibling behaviour that he missed out on experiencing as the only child of his mother. 

But with age and maturity came new perspectives, and with those new thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It was in his first flush of manhood that he found himself desiring Prince Robert in new and unexpected ways.

Before, he had wanted to force Prince Robert out into the sunlight so that he could see the older boy as hot and uncomfortable as he was. Now, he wanted to see him in the light so that he might have a clearer view of the freckles that dusted the bridge of his nose. Before, he had wanted to pin the boy to the ground to prove his worth and strength. Now, when he thought of pinning Robert to the floor a heat rose on his neck, between his legs, and he felt a shiver run through him so strong that he might suddenly shake himself apart. 

While he usually dreaded the summers spent in Robert’s kingdom his feelings suddenly changed the year he turned fourteen, and he found that he could not help but anticipate seeing the older boy again.

His hope was perhaps encouraged by the fact that Prince Andrew had recently been betrothed to Princess Christine of the White Kingdom. Aaron knew that the agreement between his parents and Robert’s specified only that he would marry one of the siblings, and with Andy now engaged he anticipated that he would have more of an excuse to monopolise Robert’s time, now that his potential suitors had changed from three to two.

It was this hope that made his disappointment even keener when he reached the castle and found that the Whites were also there, with it clear for all to see that Robert had become infatuated with the younger White sister.

If it had been difficult to get Robert on his own before, this year it was nigh on impossible, as wherever he went Princess Rebecca did too. Aaron was gladdened to see that Robert’s mood had clearly improved, but he was near paralysed with jealousy that it had been Rebecca that had inspired this change in him. Aaron told himself that the reason he was so upset when he saw Rebecca with Robert was because his family head never had good relations with the White kingdom. His family thought the Whites were all overmighty, with takeover ambitions that belied the small size of their kingdom. But what really made Aaron's heartache was they way that Robert and Rebecca were continually laughing and smiling at each other. Truly, they were a well-made match. 

So now it was Aaron’s turn to sulk and be sullen. 

The only positive thing to come from the summer that he had put so much of his hope on was that he had been forced to spend more time with Victoria, and that meant spending time with her favourite, Adam, son of the Duke of Barton.

Adam was a cheery and friendly boy, who matched both Aaron’s skill in the sparing ring and his humour outside of it. Aaron might have been tempted to turn his affections towards him, but it was clear that he and Princess Victoria were made for each other.

Adam’s friendship was the only thing that got him through a difficult summer of watching Robert and Rebecca swan around the castle together. As he departed the kingdom, he swore he would never be so careless with his heart again.

But such a promise could only be kept if circumstances remained the same. And, of course, they did not.

It was just after his sixteenth birthday when he received a letter from Prince Robert. It was the first of its kind that Robert had sent to him. Usually, any letters from him were formal, stilted things that he had clearly been forced to write by his parents. But this letter came as a complete surprise, and Aaron could not help but feel a small thrill run through him as he opened it.

Any joy he felt at obtaining the letter was quickly quashed as he read the contents.

It was a forewarning that news was on the way from Robert’s kingdom that his father, King Jack, had died and that his step-mother Queen Diane would be ruling the kingdom until Robert and his sister were married. The letter said that Robert had written a personal message in advance so that Aaron and his family would be prepared for the official announcement. And nothing else.

Aaron felt a wave of sympathy. His father had died when he was too small to remember, and his kingdom was ruled by his mother and advisors in a system that was well established and effective. But he understood enough of politics to know that Robert’s home was probably entirely in turmoil and that the transition of power might end up being messy and complex. Still, Aaron believed that such a type of environment was a place in which Robert could thrive.   

He approached the oncoming summer with trepidation. All through the spring, he anticipated a letter that would ask him not to come. But no such communication was forthcoming. And so, he took the journey that he had taken every summer of his life. But this time, he had no idea what to expect when he crossed over the country lines.

There was no one to receive him when he reached the castle, and he was clearly unexpected. But just as he was contemplating turning his horse around and heading back home, a voice called out to him.

“What on earth are _you_ doing here?”

Aaron turned again, and almost wished he hadn’t. There on the steps of the castle stood Prince Robert, resplendent in robes of deepest blue, the sun in his hair, and a scowl on his face.

“I…” Aaron stuttered, unsure of what to say. “I received no word not to come, and it is the first of the season so…” 

Robert seemed unmoved and simply folded his arms over his chest.

“I can go, you’re right, I shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry…”

But then Queen Diane appeared, “Nonsense, you are always welcome here. And, seeing a friendly face might be just what the kingdom needs to assure the people that life will continue on as normal.”

Indeed, Queen Diane’s plan seemed centred very much on ‘putting a brave face on’, and Aaron was to be part of that. First, he was to tour some of the outlying towns in the north with Prince Robert, while Princess Victoria would travel to the towns in the south with the Barton brothers as her escorts. Then, at the castle, there would be a tournament that the princes and the nobles of the land would all compete in.

Robert did not seem overly thrilled to be forced into Aaron’s company for weeks on end. But neither did he wear the scowl that had been his constant expression throughout their childhoods. Indeed, Aaron was once able to force something of a smile onto Robert’s lips.

They were riding between the northern towns, and Aaron was bored out of his mind, when he turned to Robert and casually said, “I do think that this is a good idea, however tiring all this travelling is.”

“How so?” replied Robert.

“Well, it enables the people to see that their future ruler is in good health. And that he is concerned for their well-being and willing to listen to their concerns and grievances…” Aaron paused, careful of his words. “I suppose it is also good for them to see a foreign prince as a friend as well so that they know that the country still has allies and connexions.”

Robert looked at him, an expression on his face as if he was seeing Aaron clearly for the first time.

“That is very perceptive of you,” he said.

“Should I be offended that you are surprised by that?” Aaron asked with a laugh. “After all, you once said that you thought you had the measure of me just fine.”

Robert ducked his head, as if he was trying to hide a blush, “I can change my mind, can’t I?”

“You can change your opinion, that’s different,” Aaron pointed out.

Aaron tried not to read too much into the fact that over the next few days he caught Robert staring at him a number of times. He was beginning to think that while they may not ever be lovers, they might one day be able to tolerate each other as friends.

Although it made him feel a little guilty to think this, the summer after King Jack had died was one of the best that Aaron had spent. His friendship with Princess Victoria grew deeper and she often invited him to spend afternoons wandering the castle gardens with her. And with that friendship came deeper comradeship with Adam, as he was never far from the princess’s side, but also with his older brother Ross, who became Aaron’s most formidable sparring opponent. This also meant more interaction with the youngest Barton boy, Finn, who Aaron had begun to suspect might have been carrying a torch for him.

Such suspicion was confirmed when Finn gave him a favour to wear during the tournament.

“Victoria is probably meant to give you something,” said Finn as he tied a red ribbon onto Aaron’s jerkin, “but she’s already given hers to Adam, what a surprise.”

Aaron smiled at him, “Thank you for thinking of me and saving me the embarrassment. You are a good friend, Finn Barton” he said squeezing the younger boy’s shoulder.

Aaron made a mental note to himself that he ought to find a way to let Finn down gently after the tournament ended. He did hope the young boy didn’t expect a kiss from him. 

Their swords were blunt, but the fighting was real, and there was many a bruise obtained in the sparring pitch that day. It would be easy to claim that no one wanted to be too violent against the princes for of fear of wounding them seriously, both in body and pride. But Aaron and Robert’s opponents fought them valiantly and the princes beat them on merit alone.

Then, it was Aaron and Robert’s time to fight each other. They had not done so since that summer when Aaron had knocked him off his feet. While he stood by his argument that he had only done what he had needed to in order to win the fight, he now knew that such dirty tactics would be frowned upon in this new setting. And indeed, without them, there was no way Aaron could win against the older man. This time, it was Aaron who was knocked to the floor. 

Robert hailed his victory, but only after he had helped Aaron to his feet again, and encouraged the crowd to cheer for him. Aaron tried desperately to tamp down the bubble of joy he felt rise through him at Robert’s demonstration of honour towards him.  He remained in such high spirits that he could barely contain his delight when Robert sent a servant to him to ask him to come to his chambers after dinner.

Aaron dared not hope. But he did wash his body carefully and changed his jerkin, just in case.

“I don’t mean to keep you,” Robert said casually as he let Aaron into his solar. “I just wanted to give this back to you.” Robert opened his palm to reveal a torn red ribbon. “I’m sorry, I must have damaged it in the fight.”

Aaron took it from his hand, “It doesn’t matter. It’s only from Finn.”

“Finn, the youngest Barton boy?”

“I think Victoria was meant to give me a favour, and Finn noticed that she had forgotten, so he gave me this.” Aaron shoved it into the pocket of his breeches, “It didn’t mean anything.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” warned Robert. “I’ve seen the way the boy looks at you.”

“Well, then I’m sorry that he has the wrong idea.”

They stood in silence for a while, staring at each other while pretending that they were not. 

Aaron was just about to make an excuse to go when something in the room caught his eye.

“Is that a chess set?” he said, gesturing to the table behind Robert.

“You’ve never seen one before?” asked Robert, incredulously.

“It is not a very popular game in my kingdom,” explained Aaron, “so I never learnt how to play it.”

“You did once,” said Robert, a sadness in his voice that felt like a weight in the room. “I tried to teach you, a long time ago,” explained Robert as Aaron examined the pieces, “but you were very young, and I don’t think you understood. You just liked looking at the figures.”

Aaron picked up the black knight from the table and examined where it was broken. “Why has this one got no ears?” he asked.

“You broke it,” said Robert, taking the piece from Aaron’s hands.

“I’m so sorry…”

“It doesn’t matter. You were just a child and it was an accident.” Robert put it back to its space on the board, “besides, I have lots of other sets.”

“Will you teach me?” asked Aaron.

Robert looked at him as if he was about to refuse him. But then he sighed, ran his hand through his hair and said, “Fine, but only for a few hours; I’m tired.”

When Aaron left Robert’s room later that evening he felt like the world had rearranged itself. He might not yet fully understand the rules and nuances of the game yet, but at least now he had a clearer view of the board.

…

When Robert thought about the summers of his childhood he always remembered them as being horrifically hot and humid. He knew in his mind that it couldn’t possibly have always been sunny in the way he remembered it, as his kingdom was notorious for its cold and damp climate. And yet, any memory of summer always seemed to feature a cloudless sky. He was sure that if he told this to one of the more romantic members of his court, such as Finn, then he would never hear the end of how these false memories were clearly a sign of an obvious connexion between sunlight and Prince Aaron; how the young man clearly brought the light into Robert’s life.

It was a ridiculous notion. But, as he stood looking out at some of the heaviest rainstorms he had ever seen in is twenty-one summers, he could not help wondering if the sunlight of his youth hand given way to rain in adulthood because he had suddenly become aware of his place in the world and the responsibilities that came with it.

He moved away from the window, unwilling to let himself slip further into feeling morose and decided instead to take a long walk along some of the upper galleries. The long and open rooms had been built by his ancestors, specifically for the purpose of being able to take long walks even when the weather was uncooperative. However, his father and grandfather had both preferred more closed in and cosy spaces, and now the galleries were only used to store furniture that was no longer in fashion. Robert knew there would be no-one up there.

Which is why he was so surprised to find Prince Aaron snuggled in amongst the dust sheets and great aunt Mary’s hideous ottoman. He’d fallen asleep, a book nestled on his lap, and Robert took a short moment to look at him properly, for what felt like the first time in years, before nudging him awake.

“What are you doing up here?” asked Robert.

“I was just getting some peace and quiet, and I was bored with waiting around for the rain to stop.” The book slipped from his lap as he stretched the sleep out of his limbs. He made to grab it, but Robert reached it before him.

The book had landed with its pages open, and Robert could see a beautiful illustration showing a swan on a lake.

“I know this book…” Robert said.

“Give it back!” Replied Aaron urgently, holding his hands out, but Robert turned away from him to examine the book further.

He flicked through the pages, the titles, and pictures intimately familiar.

“I gave you this” he murmured. “I thought you would have disposed of it by now.” He turned the book to its front page and saw the childish scrawl of his own name, the ink just beginning to bleed and fade with age.

“Of course not! I love this book!” replied Aaron with a blush.

“That’s funny, I seem to remember you not liking it at all.” Aaron looked completely befuddled so Robert explained, “I asked you about it, and you fobbed me off with some standard reply that you must have given everyone at court. It was clear that you much preferred the gifts of my siblings.”

“What? That’s not true at all.” Robert paused, waiting for a further explanation, “I was… I suppose what I thought was that the book was your subtle way of telling me that you didn’t like me very much.”

“How so?”

“You remember the story of the hedgehog and the snake? The snake invites the hedgehog into his burrow. But the hedgehog’s spikes take up so much room that he makes the snake’s home impossible to live in, and the snake is forced to leave… I thought you were trying to tell me that I was the hedgehog, and you were the snake and that I had forced my way into your home and had made you uncomfortable.”

It certainly wasn’t the reply Robert had expected. He chose his next words very carefully. “I am sorry if I had ever made you feel that way. And sorry too that you ever had cause to associate this book with me disliking you. It certainly was not my intention.”

Aaron said nothing, but Robert saw the shadow of a smile grace his lips.

“Go on then, which one is your favourite?” asked Robert, handing the book back to Aaron.

Aaron thumbed the pages, a line creasing his forehead. Then he flipped the book open to show Robert a picture of an Eagle pierced with an arrow.

“A bit grim, isn’t it?” said Robert.

“A lot of them are!” laughed Aaron. “But I liked the message of this one the best; that we can be the means of our own destruction. The eagle is shot with an arrow fashioned from his own feathers after all. I first thought it meant that I should keep myself guarded, in case anyone sought to use something they knew about me against me. But then I realised that if I could be the agent of my own destruction, then there was no point in not letting people help me. If people are always going to try to use me, I might as well use them too...”

“I’ve not heard that interpretation before,” said Robert. “You are more cunning than I had realised…”

“It’s my own interpretation, and it’s probably incorrect.”

Robert hummed but did not push the matter further. Instead, he said, “My favourite was the Lion and the Mouse. I thought that it had an excellent message for a future ruler: that the weak can help the strong, and that relationships should be mutually beneficial. It’s why I broke things off with Princess Rebecca.”

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that,” said Aaron.

Robert moved to sit beside the younger prince, “Why would you be sorry for it?”

“She made you happy,” Aaron replied.

“She did,” admitted Robert. “But not so much so that I would sacrifice the happiness of my kingdom, or my little sister for it.”

He sighed, realising that there was no way he could make a comment like that without giving Aaron a fuller explanation. “You know my sister is in love with Duke Barton’s son? He is very wealthy and holds a lot of influence and respect in this kingdom. But if I do not marry well, and make a strong alliance, then it will fall to my sister to do so. She will have to marry a foreigner, and end her relationship with Adam.”

“Rebecca wasn’t a good enough match?”

“She is the younger sister, and holds far less influence at her court, everyone knows that. Besides, my brother is married to her sister: a marriage to her would not bring any more gains to the kingdom that we did not already achieve through my brother’s marriage.”

“I’ve never considered the whole business to be so complicated before,” said Aaron. “I am not so naïve to think that it would be all romance and following your heart, but I guess I was always raised with the assumption that I would marry you or your siblings, as our parents agreed, and so I never gave marriage negotiations much thought.”

“You think I would hold you to such an ancient arrangement?”

“I don’t know…” said Aaron, very quietly. “Would you?”

At that moment, Robert realised just how close he was to Aaron. The gallery was long and dark, and so he had sat close to Aaron to share the light he had been reading by. But now they were but a hairsbreadth apart from each other. Robert could have counted the eyelashes that framed Aaron’s eyes if he found the time or inclination. And if he reached out, he would be able to trace the fine lines in Aaron’s skin with his fingers.

He was just about to do so when a voice rang out, calling his name. He turned with a groan to see Finn Barton with a lantern and a harried expression, having been sent for the wayward Princes to call them down for dinner.

Robert was on his feet first, and so extended his hand to help the other prince up off the floor. He tried to quiet the thrill that went through him as Aaron held his hand with a lightness of touch that belied his strong frame. But later, in a quiet moment, he found himself flexing and curling the fingers of the same hand as if they had suddenly grown new skin. 

Quiet moments were hard to come by that summer. Robert was beginning to think that their family motto should be changed to ‘put a brave face on it’ because he’d heard the phrase so much in the last few weeks. A storm was coming; they all knew it, and all they could do was prepare for when it hit.

Every night he returned to his room exhausted after hours of secret meetings and negotiations. He was sure Aaron must be feeling terribly neglected during his stay, but Robert was too tired even ask himself why he was concerned for Aaron’s amusement when such a thought had never troubled him throughout the entirety of their childhoods.

So, when he entered his chambers and found the place in total disarray, Aaron in the corner rifling through a chest of drawers, he didn’t even think about a possible explanation. He just started shouting.

“What on earth do you think you are doing! Who gave you permission to be in here?”

“I…” Aaron turned rapidly to face him, face already flushing red. “Finn said you wouldn’t be back for a few hours…”

“How dare you! You just waltz in here and trash my things? What, are you so bored that you’ve turned to destruction? Or are you stealing? Is your country so poor that you feel the need to thieve?”

“I didn’t…”

“I can’t believe you! Have you nothing to say for yourself?”

“Robert, please stop shouting at me.”

“I’ll shout at whoever I like! You are a guest in this castle, and yet you feel the need to abuse our hospitality!”

“What hospitality?” Aaron shouted back. “Something is clearly going on, but you will not treat me as an equal partner!”

“My brother is missing!” yelled Robert.

There was silence.

“Missing?” said Aaron.

Robert took a big sigh, kicked a pile of papers out of the way, and walked to the window so that he didn’t have to look at Aaron.

“We received news a few weeks back. Andy went out on a hunting trip with a few of his men, and they never came back. There have been no sightings of him at all. It’s like he’s disappeared.” He rested his head against the glass to try and cool the heat rising on his face as he fought back tears of frustration and grief. “They haven’t told the people of White Kingdom; they’ve just been saying he’s ill when people have asked after him. But if he doesn’t turn up within the next week, they are going to officially declare him dead...”

Robert could hear Aaron shuffling his feet behind him. “Robert, I am so sorry.”

“Nobody knows, except my family and the High Council. I haven’t told anyone,” Robert said, turning to face Aaron. The look on the young prince’s face was one of concern, but not pity, and for some reason that gave Robert a sense of calm that he hadn’t felt in a while.

He looked at the state of his room and sighed, “I am very sorry for shouting at you. But you must see why I was surprised to find you here.”

“I know, I am sorry too. I didn’t mean to make such a mess,” admitted Aaron. “It’s just, what I was looking for wasn’t where I expected to find it, and I panicked a little; I wanted to be gone by the time you came back.”

“What was it you were looking for?”

Aaron shrugged, and ran his hand through his hair, “I was looking for your old chess set, the one with the broken Knight.”

Robert copied the gesture, “It’s here,” he said, reaching under his bed and pulling out the chest that contained it. “Why that set in particular?”

Aaron had gone to his knees to help Robert pull the box free, “I wanted to see if I could find a way to fix the figure, or if not, to have a new one made.”

“I’ve been so used to the piece being broken, I never thought to change it,” admitted Robert, finding the piece and handing it to Aaron.

“It was a silly idea,” said Aaron quietly. “I don’t even know what made me think of it.”

Robert went to his feet, suddenly very tired, “You can keep it.”

Aaron looked up at him from his position on the floor, the back Knight still cradled in his hands. In that moment, Robert was struck by how small the prince looked. Usually, Aaron’s body exuded the type of strength and power that only came with hard work and good genes. But there on the floor of Robert’s bedroom, he looked small enough that Robert might be able to wrap his arms all the way around him and hold him there.

He did not act on the impulse, however, instead he made excuses of how he was in need of rest. Prince Aaron simply nodded his understanding and slipped from the room, leaving a quiet chaos in his wake.

They saw so little of each other over that miserable summer that Robert felt the need to write to the Prince and apologise. The tragedy in Robert’s kingdom continued to unfold and Robert soon found that Aaron became a useful and supportive confidant. Andy was indeed declared to be dead, and his kingdom in mourning. The horrendous weather over the summer resulted in a failed harvest that autumn, something that would have led to famine and disease had not Robert ensured the supplementing of the granaries with surplus from previous years, and an accommodating trade agreement with Prince Aaron’s kingdom.

But in the new year, further calamity came, as his sister and Duke Barton’s son eloped. Robert was grief-stricken by his sister’s betrayal, and it was only the reassuring and sympathetic letters from Aaron that saw him through the difficult winter months.

With spring came a lighter mood. There had been mutterings among the people that the hardships faced by their kingdom were the result of a curse, rumours that were further heightened by reports from the far-lying villages that strange and wild beasts had been seen. But these reports stopped as the warmer weather came, and Robert began to find himself looking forwards to summer.

As he was wondering the grounds one day, he saw a large bush of pink flowers that he knew he recognised from somewhere, so he called Finn over to help him identify them.

“These are amaranth, your highness,” said Finn. “They are the flowers in that fable about the rose.”

“I remember,” said Robert. “The amaranth complements the rose on its beauty, but the rose replies that the amaranth has a longer life.”

“Beauty is fleeting,” explains Finn.

“And, perhaps, other virtues are more important,” Robert wondered aloud. “Have the gardener cut me a bouquet of them.”

The bright colours of the flowers in his room seemed to cheer his mood further, and he even slipped a handful of the flowers to the messenger who was being sent with his latest letter to Prince Aaron.

And when Aaron arrived at the gates that summer, he was wearing a bright pink flower in his lapel.  

Looking down at him from the steps of the castle, Robert knew with more certainty than he had ever felt about anything else in his life, that this was the man he was going to marry. 

So, he called together the nobles and council members of the kingdom in order to announce his intention to them. Aaron must have had an inkling about what was happening as well, Robert realised, as when he arrived in the great hall he was wearing robes of stunning blue that were finer than anything Robert had seen him wear before.

The robes brought out the colour of Aaron’s eyes in a way that completely stole Robert’s breath. The texture of the fabric contrasted beautifully with the roughness of the stubble that Aaron had lately grown. It made him look regal, resplendent, refined; words that Robert had never thought he would use to describe the once red-faced and sullen prince. Before, when he had thought of the prospect of fulfilling their parents’ arrangement he had felt dread and even sometimes revulsion. Now he felt nothing but a thrill of excitement tempered, perhaps, with a few nerves.

Prince Aaron walked towards him, leant close to him, and said very quietly, “What’s all this for?”

Robert smiled at him, took the other Prince’s hand, and said the words he had practised for days before Aaron’s arrival. 

“Prince Aaron, it was the dearest wish of my father and your mother to one day see out families united in the bonds of marriage. Our kingdoms are strong, but they would be all the more so together. It would be my greatest honour if you would become my husband, and tie forever the bonds that were formed in our childhood.”

Aaron looked at him, a blush beginning to form on his cheeks. Voice barely above a whisper, clenching Robert’s hand as it held his, he said: “You couldn’t have done this in private?”

“The marriage arrangement between our families has stood for nearly twenty years. Surely, this can’t be something you were unprepared for? A marriage between us would secure the best chance at prosperity for both our kingdoms.”

Aaron gently pried his hand back from Robert and took a step back, “But what else?”

“What else?”

“You wish to marry me for the mutual benefits of our kingdoms. But what else is there that makes you want to marry me?”

Robert could feel his forehead creasing into a frown and he tried to work out what Aaron wanted him to say.

“What else is there?” he asked.

It was almost like all the air had been sucked from the room. Aaron’s face turned ashen, and any trace of a smile or humour that had one been there immediately fell. The younger prince took a deep breath, and then he began to speak.

“I thank you very much for your generous offer,” said Aaron, in a loud enough voice for the whole hall to hear, “you are right that a marriage between our kingdoms was desired by our parents. However, the summers I have spent in your kingdom have shown me that no such arrangement is necessary. We already trade freely and have offered each kingdom help and assistance as it is required. A marriage would simply mean that these benefits would be offered because of a contract, rather than the pre-existing goodwill between our nations. If your proposal to me is based on the obligations set by our parents, then I free you from them with a full heart. And if your proposal is based on a fear that the bond between our kingdoms will be broken then I can assure you, and all the ministers and nobles gathered here before us, that we shall always continue to work in cooperation and friendship.”

Robert stood, completely astonished. 

“Prince Robert,” Aaron continued, “I have spent many happy summers here, and I will always be grateful for the hospitality shown to me by you, your family, and your people. I am glad we have had the opportunity to confirm our alliances. But now I feel that I must return to my own kingdom, and take them news of our continued cooperation.”

With that, Prince Aaron bowed to Robert, then turned on his heel and walked out of the great hall, leaving only stunned silence behind him.

Robert took a moment to gather his thoughts as the nobles and councillors tried to shuffle inconspicuously from the Great Hall. The prince didn’t know if he should feel ashamed, embarrassed, angry or rejected. But Robert had never been one to dwell hopelessly on things he could not change, and so instead he left the room to go find Aaron.

He searched high and low over the castle, even looking in the gallery they had spent part of the last summer in. He was beginning to panic when he realised that the stables were the only place he hadn’t yet looked. Surely, Aaron wouldn’t have left already?

But there he was. Prince Aaron had changed into plain clothes for travelling and was just strapping the saddle bags to his horse when Robert found him. 

“I’m not sure we have anything left to say to one another,” he said, refusing to look at Robert as he made his preparations for travel.

“But, I wanted to… wait, are you crying?”

Aaron rubbed his eyes on his sleeves, “No, don’t be ridiculous.”

Choosing to ignore the obvious lie, Robert continued, “I just wanted to say sorry for getting it so wrong. You’re right, we should have spoken about it in private first. I just didn’t see the point in waiting.”

“It’s fine, Robert, you’ve explained yourself enough.”

“I’m not sure I have… If I’m honest, I didn’t expect you to react in the way you did.”

“What, because I should be so honoured that you decided to marry me after all?”

“No! Well, maybe a little…”

“Robert,” Aaron said firmly, fixing him with a stare. “We spent our childhoods pretty much hating each other. You foiled every attempt I made to inspire you to like me. And now suddenly, for no apparent reason, you have decided that I am worthy of your time. I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough for me. I couldn’t spend my whole life with you, loving you, knowing that you were only with me for convenience.”

“You love me?”

Aaron looked at his feet, “I do. Heavens help me, I tried not to. But I have loved you for many years. And I know myself enough to know that I would only grow to love you more. To be married to you, and know that you feel nothing for me, that would be more than I could bear.”

“But I do…!” The words were out of Robert’s mouth before he could stop them. “At least, I think I could grow to love you.”

“I’m sorry Robert, but that’s not enough.” Aaron reached out to Robert, and quickly but gently placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Please let me go,” said Aaron, trying to lead his horse out of the stable.

“But I don’t want you to,” replied Robert, reluctantly moving out of the way.

Aaron hauled himself up onto his horse, “I’m sorry, Prince Robert,” he said, urging his horse to move. Robert followed after him as far as he could before the horse picked up speed. Aaron turned to look over his shoulder once, but then he was gone, taking himself, his guards, and a piece of Robert’s heart with him.

…

Aaron lasted for about thirty minutes of travelling before he started to cry. But he did not feel ashamed; a thick fog had settled across the road and so he was pretty sure that none of his guards could see.

Aaron had never felt so emotionally drained before in his life. He’d been so happy when Robert had asked him to marry him. But that joy had quickly died as soon as he had realised exactly what Robert was asking for. Prince Robert didn’t want to be with him, any more than he had wanted Aaron to visit all those summers ago. He was acting on an obligation, nothing more, and Aaron had been a fool to think otherwise.

But oh, how wonderful it had been to live with that hope, for all of the briefest of moments.

He was so tired that he was barely concentrating, and he knew he should call his men to stop and make camp. He was just about to do so when he realised that he could not hear the steps of his men around him. He did not call out, although he did look around, but his vision was entirely clouded with white.  

Suddenly there was a skull shattering shriek. Aaron clasped his hands over his ears, but nothing would block the pain of that awful, hellish cry.

And then his world went black.

 

 

 


	2. The White Swan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a very minor warning for some slight gore in the first scene of the chapter. Be safe everyone.

Robert sat in his chambers trying to resist the urge to start pacing. In some ways, it helped that Finn was there to pace for him, although the boy’s worried expression and constant wringing of his hands were beginning to become tiresome.

“What else is there?” Finn suddenly exclaimed, turning on Robert. “Honestly, what a thing to say! You should write a book; ‘how to offend someone in five syllables or less!’”

“Or fewer,” Robert corrected.

Finn let out a sigh of frustration and threw his hands up to the air. “Are you just going to sit here and do nothing?”

“No, Finn, I’m going to saddle up my horse and go chasing after the man who just rejected my marriage proposal in front of every prominent member of my court!” Robert responded sarcastically.

“Well, you can’t just let him walk away!”

“I didn’t!” Robert shouted angrily. “I went after him to see him in private, and he made his feelings towards me quite obvious.” Robert felt a particular pang with those words. Aaron had indeed made it clear that he loved him but did not wish to marry him. What was unclear was what steps Robert ought to take next, and how he could win the back the affections of the younger prince. Perhaps it was the unexpected sensation of being so resolutely rejected, but Robert knew with absolute certainty that he would do anything to have the prince at home in his castle, in his arms, in his bed.

At that moment, there was a frantic knocking at the door. A servant poked his head into the room and gasped that the prince was wanted urgently in the Great Hall.

Thankful for the opportunity to escape Finn’s judgmental gaze Robert rushed down to the main part of the castle. He was gladdened to see a knight in the livery of Aaron’s kingdom there, and for the briefest of moments allowed himself to hope that Aaron had changed his mind and was coming back to him. But then he noticed the tears in the knight’s uniform. And the blood.

“We were attacked,” the knight gasped. “A great beast… On the northern road... Listen, please, your highness, it’s not what it seems… It’s not…” The knight faltered, clearly weak with exhaustion, and Robert rushed forwards to support him.

“Where is Prince Aaron?” Robert asked, a cold fear beginning to settle within him.

“Prince Aaron is… gone.” The knight gave one heaving breath and fell into unconsciousness.

Robert gently but firmly shoved the unconscious knight into the arms of a waiting courtier, turning to shout over his shoulder, “My horse! At once!”

He tore off his cape which had become stifling around his neck and pointed at a nearby group of knights, “You! Follow with me in the direction Prince Aaron and his men went. We must find out if there are survivors of the attack.”

Rob held onto the tiny spark of hope that flared to life in his chest as he gathered his things and set out at a frantic pace from the castle. The knight who had come to them was clearly delirious; perhaps he had been mistaken? Perhaps Prince Aaron has survived, and was heading straight back for them? Perhaps it was all some horrible trick?

These thoughts whirled in the mind of the prince as he made his way to the very outskirts of his kingdom, travelling the distance in half the time it should have taken him. His poor horse was sweating and panting, but Robert could not bring himself to care, too desperate to find Prince Aaron again and assure himself of the younger prince’s safety.

He was devastated when they came upon the scene of the attack. Prince Aaron’s caravan had been destroyed, the whole thing piled in one heap of mangled wood and fabric. He might have just assumed it was the result of an attack by a particularly violent group of bandits, were it not for the carcass of a horse lying on the side of the road; its neck broken, it’s guts strewn across the path, it’s spine removed and hanging from a nearby tree.

No natural thing could have done this…

Rob dismounted from his horse and somehow managed to stop himself from crumbling to the ground in defeat. He made his way over to the ruins of Aaron’s belongings in the vain hope that he might find some clue as to what had happened to him. As he took a deep breath to prepare himself for the sight of blood, or worse, his foot hit against something hard and solid on the road. He bent to pick it up and felt his heart fall through to his stomach.

There, lying in the dirt, as sad and broken as it ever had been, was a tiny black chess figure. 

…

The first thing Prince Aaron was aware of was pain. From the end of his toes to the very tips of his hair, Aaron was held in the grip of the most awful agony he had ever felt in his life. His skin felt like molten fire, burning with enough heat to dissolve his bones. Every fibre of his being felt like it was being rearranged as his whole body was compressed into a small confined space which made his muscles cramp and his bones creek.

But then the torture stopped, and he was finally able to open his eyes.

It was like the world had been tilted on its axis. He felt dizzy with the residual pain, but also from the sensation that he was looking at everything from several meters lower than he normally would. It was almost as if his legs had been cut from his body.

His whole body felt new to him, his neck and arms longer, but his legs shorter and… wet?

He looked down, saw his reflection, and screamed.

Or rather, honked.

Staring back at him in the water was a beautiful white swan. Aaron still had the presence of mind to be able to identify his own reflection, and yet what he saw was not himself, but an animal. And his voice, when he tried to call out, was the jarring sound of a bird’s cry, not his own human speech.

The commotion he was no doubt causing, honking and flapping around, had drawn a crowd. Two other swans starred at him as they swam gracefully around the edge of the lake. Another swan on the bank looked ready to hiss at him. Aaron drew a breath to call out again, when one of the swans interrupted him with a hushed, “Be quiet, or they’ll hear you!”

The warning was apparently too late. All at once the three swans took to the sky, just as a figure emerged from the bank of the lake Aaron was sitting upon. Gradually, it became clear that the figure was a woman. A woman that Aaron knew.

Queen Chrissie of the White Kingdom stood on the bank of the lake and looked sympathetically down at Prince Aaron as he frantically waved his new wings at her.

“Now now, there’s no need to make a fuss your highness,” she said sweetly. “I’m sure this situation can be resolved very quickly.”

He calmed down a little at that, surprised that he could still hear and understand her.

“I know it must be terribly confusing to wake up as an animal. Though, I think it a nicety that I turned you into a swan and not say, a dung beetle. The thing is, I need you nice and quiet while I put forwards my proposal to you.

“As I am sure you are aware my husband Prince Andrew is missing. My kingdom needs a king, and a strong alliance to help us in our continued fight for dominance in these realms. For too long has my country been considered the weaker partner. For too long we have been forced to feed on the scraps left to us by more powerful nations. Our lands and resources combined would easily dwarf those of our neighbours, Prince Aaron. You are young and strong, and thus more than an adequate candidate for the role of co-regent. The fact that this would leave your dear Prince Robert free to marry my sister is incidental, but this way everyone is happy.”

Aaron hissed back at her. The woman was clearly mad! To think that he would be complicit in her takeover plans, plans which would surely start a war, was insulting enough. But for her to draw Robert into her plot was despicable. Not to mention the fact that she had used sorcery to get her way! Aaron resolved there and then that he would never agree to her plans. And he would have told her as much, had he been able to use his human voice.

“I admit, your predicament is unfortunate,” the madwoman continued. “But rest assured it is only temporary. You will turn back into a human when the light of the moon touches this lake, so you have some time to consider my proposal. And before you think about running off back home remember; you will only turn human if you are on the lake, but at sunrise you will turn back into a swan, no matter where you are.” With that, she turned on her heel and vanished into the dawn mist.

Aaron sat for a while on the waters, unsure of what to do with himself and how to rid himself of the curse. He swam to the edge of the lake where he stepped onto the shore so that he could try stretching and moving his wings in order to work out how to use them to fly.

At that point, the two swans who had been on the lake with him descended back into the water and swam over to him.

“Is it true? Are you Prince Aaron?” one of them asked.

“I am,” Aaron replied, still surprised at his ability to understand them.

“Oh goodness,” said the other. “I’m so pleased to see you… I mean, I’m not pleased you are here; I wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone…” 

“But we have both missed you…” said the other swan in a deeper tone.

Aaron suddenly realised; before him, in swan form, was Princess Victoria and Adam.

He would have thrown his arms around them, if he still had arms.

“What happened to you? Robert said that you had eloped,” Aaron asked, relieved to finally be able to ask his friends their side of the story. The idea that Princess Victoria would abandon her kingdom and her brother had never sat easily with him. 

And of course, that was not the case. Victoria and Adam explained between them how they had been out together on one of their daily rides out to the villages when they were abducted. But instead of being attacked by Chrissie, their assailant was her younger sister, Rebecca. She had been ranting and raving about how their plans to marry had caused Robert to abandon her, claiming that his duty to the kingdom was more important than his relationship with her. She had transformed them and imprisoned them on the lake, in the hopes that Robert’s grief at the disappearance of his litter sister so soon after the death of their brother would throw him back into her arms.

“But then, there was a rumour that Robert was going to propose to you instead, and so you became their next target,” Victoria explained. “I was so pleased when I heard that my brother had finally admitted his feelings for you. It’s so sad that it has ended this way.”

“What do you mean his feelings for me?” Aaron asked. “Robert has no feelings for me but grudging respect. He even said that his proposal to me was entirely politically motivated.”

“My brother has always been terrible with words, despite what he thinks,” Victoria sounded exasperated, even in swan form. “He has loved you from the moment you told him you had kept the book of fables he gave you when we were all children. From then on, his face lit up whenever you were mentioned, and he started wearing the colours of your kingdom without realising it. He drove us all mad with his constant planning of all the things he wished to show you and tell you about when you visited. I do not know if he knew it himself, but I am sure, my brother has been in love with you for many years, Prince Aaron. Far longer, even, than you have loved him.”

Aaron didn’t know what to feel. His heart sang with the knowledge that Robert returned his feelings, but his joy quickly dispersed as he remembered his predicament, replaced with frustration and anger.

“We must escape,” he resolved. “When we turn back into humans at moonrise, we will overpower her before she attacks us…”

“That’s a ridiculous idea!” interrupted the other swan from his position on the edge of the lake, “You’ve seen how powerful she is. We could attack her with a full army and she would still crush us under her heal.”

“Much as I hate to admit this, my brother is right,” Victoria sighed.

“Oh, Prince Andrew!” Aaron said, recognising the voice of the third swan. “But they told us you were dead.”

“I’m sure they did,” he replied, swimming over. “But, alas, I am cursed as we all are. My wife did not wish to kill me in case she could find a use for me at a later point.”

“Why would she do such a thing?”

“Do you really think that witch needs an excuse?” exclaimed Prince Andrew.

“He had an affair with a serving girl, Chrissie didn’t take it well…” explained Victoria, slightly under her breath.

“As much as I would love to take that wicked woman down, there is another problem with your plan Aaron,” said Adam. “Whilst she has said that you will turn back into a human, Victoria, Andy and I will not. We are cursed to be swans forever…”

…

Robert had grown frantic in the ensuing weeks after Prince Aaron’s disappearance. Every waking hour he had spare was spent in the library, researching the possibilities of what the Great Beast the knight had seen could be. At other times, he was out in the field, training so that when he did eventually track the beast down, he could kill it.

He was not alone in his endeavours; Finn had annoyingly attached himself to Robert’s side. Rob knew that this was mostly due to Finn’s own feelings for Prince Aaron, rather than any concern for Robert, but for once in his life he was grateful for any help that he could get, and eagerly set to work making Finn useful by giving him research to complete while he was out in the field or dealing with affairs of state.

If he was grudging in his acceptance of Finn’s help he was even less impressed when Duke Cain turned up on the castle doorstep demanding that he be allowed to assist in the search for his missing nephew.

“I’m not sitting around doing nothing whilst this soft lad here heads up the search for my nephew. It’s been several weeks and there’s still been no sign of him, and I am beginning to think that Prince Robert couldn’t even find his own backside without assistance.”

Robert didn’t know whether to be offended or cowed. Whilst it was true that the search for Aaron has been depressingly slow in progress, he was working himself to the point of exhaustion every day in his search for clues.

So instead of reacting with indignation at Duke Cain’s insults, as he no doubt would have done before, he simply held out his hand for the noble to take. “Any assistance in the search for Prince Aaron would be gratefully received,” he said.

And so, every day he met Duke Cain out on the training ground and let the older man put him through his paces, knowing that it would all be worth it to have Aaron safe and in his arms. Duke Cain was known to be a fearsome warrior in his own kingdom, and he showed these skills off to Robert at every opportunity, making the Prince often feel that he was no more than a stumbling babe.

It would have been so easy to let the hopelessness of the situation overwhelm him. Duke Cain never had any kind words for him, not a breath of encouragement as he knocked him to the floor and once again said, “Get up, Sugden.” Never had he met a man so insolent, so full of himself, that seemed to be put on earth solely for the purpose of humiliating and vexing Robert. But the training was no doubt working, and every time he landed a hit on the older man he felt even more confident that he would one day find Aaron. Robert knew that had he been training for his own benefit he would have thrown in the towel long ago, but the thought that every action he took would soon lead him to find Aaron was all the motivation he needed to keep going. There was no doubt in his mind that his mission was worth all the angst and agony.

Not everyone was of the same opinion; Queen Diane nearly called a total stop to his quest when she saw the way Cain had beaten him after one of their training sessions. Indeed, Cain had been excessive, and Robert’s face had swollen black and blue with the number of times that it had encountered Cain’s fist or the floor. But he found himself getting up over and over again, and he had even at one point seen a glimmer of pride in Cain’s eyes.

Still, Queen Diane was unimpressed with their efforts and it seemed that she was on the verge of requesting Cain’s removal from her kingdom. The course of action she eventually decided to take was less extreme but caused Robert no less anguish.

“Do you not think you should be dedicating your time to other pursuits,” she said gently over dinner one evening.

“Pardon?” Robert asked incredulously.

“You are devoting so much time to finding Prince Aaron, and while that is a worthy pursuit, other duties are being neglected.”

He looked at her with confusion, “What other duties? You and the council continue to run the day-to-day business of the kingdom admirably…”

“You are due to take over those tasks as soon as you are married…”

“And I will be married,” he interrupted, “as soon as I find Prince Aaron.”

Diane sighed, “Prince Aaron has been missing for weeks, and there has been no sign or signal as to where his location might be. I know this isn’t what you want to hear but I do think you must seriously consider the possibility that he will never be found…”

Robert stared at her in shock.

“… and I must remind you,” she continued, “that you did indeed propose to Aaron, and he rejected you. Even if you found him, there would be no guarantee he would change his mind, and this would leave our kingdom no better off…”

Robert wanted to scream at her. He wanted to throw his glass across the room and sweep the plates from the table. He wanted to make as much din and mess as he was able to in sheer fury at what had just been said to him.

But, aside from a twitch forming at the base of his eye, he did nothing.

Instead, he said, “I appreciate what you have said to me, Queen Diane. I must, however, disagree. It is my duty as a prince of this realm to ensure the safe passage of all who travel on our roads. Prince Aaron must be located, so that we may prove to our citizens and those who trade with us that our kingdom is safe. Furthermore, without Prince Aaron in his kingdom, we cannot guarantee their further cooperation with us. If we send Duke Cain back without his nephew I am sure there will be reprisals…”

He took a deep breath and continued, knowing that his step-mother needed to know his true feelings on the matter, “and… I cannot stop my search… because I love Prince Aaron… and I was such a fool to realise it so late. I wasted so much time when he was here, and now that he is gone I want him back so much. I cannot eat, I cannot sleep until I know he is safe. So please, Diane, do not ask me to call off my search. I must do what is right in my heart, and my heart tells me to find Aaron. His safety is paramount; he’s everything to me…”

Robert looked down at his hands, surprised at the words that had flown from his mouth. He tried to concentrate on not crying as Diane stood silently and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I understand, and I am so sorry you have had to endure this. Believe me, I want you to find him too. But I want what is best for this kingdom and this family more. And I want you to stay out of harm’s way. You are the last of my husband’s children and I…”

He put his hand over Diane’s and gave it a squeeze.

“You understand that I love him and that I will do anything to find him?” he asked. Diane nodded and wiped a stray tear from her eye.

And in the morning, Robert once again headed to the training field.

…

Aaron spent his first day in swan form practising how to work his new body, with Victoria and Adam helping him, and Andy watching him sullenly from the side.

“I have to learn how to fly quickly if we are going to have any hope of escaping,” he told the three of them. “There must be a way to navigate back to your kingdom’s castle…”

“We would need a compass…” said Victoria.

“And some idea of where we are…” added Adam.

“The castle must be in the south. I was taken on the northern road, and I don’t think they would have taken us far from where we were all abducted; it’s not like anyone would recognise us.”

“We were taken on the north road too!” exclaimed Victoria. “I think you are right. Perhaps Adam and I should fly south for a while, and see if we recognise any landmarks…”

“Do you not think I have already tried that?” interrupted Andy. “And what will you do when Chrissie realises you have gone? You don’t fully appreciate what she’s capable of, none of you does! She’ll just end up torturing you, and I… I don’t want to see my little sister go through that…”

“So, you would rather I sat here and did nothing,” responded Victoria. “We’ve never put in too much effort to escaping because there would be no point given we are stuck as swans,” she explained to Aaron. “But you still turn into a human each night and I’d bet anything that Rob is out there looking for you right now. If there is any way we can draw him to the lake, and have him see you as a human, he might be able to defeat Chrissie and make her turn us all back!”

It sounded like the start of a good plan, although Aaron wasn’t sure that they would ever be able to convince her to break the curse she had them all under.

That night, after the spell forced him through the excruciating process of turning back into a human, he thought about Prince Robert, and what he might do to approach the problem. He knew he could never be as charming or suave as Robert, but he was low on options, and so it was worth a shot. 

“I have thought about your proposition,” he said to Chrissie, “and I wanted to ask what it is you hope to achieve by uniting our two kingdoms.”

“I didn’t expect you to try to negotiate with me…” she said with surprise.

“I’m not a total idiot,” he replied with a shrug, “I would like to know what your aims are before any talk of a marriage treaty. This isn’t perhaps the exact position I thought it would ever be negotiating like this, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do things correctly.”

“Well, I suppose you are right,” Chrissie folded her arms across her chest. “I’m sure you are very well versed in the history of my kingdom, how we are relatively young compared to the kingdoms belonging to yourself and Prince Robert. This means we have far fewer long-standing treaties. We have traded with other nations, but your kingdoms are easily the richest in terms of resources and prestige. I had thought to be able to access them for the benefit of my own kingdom by my marriage with Andy, though of course, a marriage to Robert would have been far more preferential, given his greater skill at court and his own ambitions…”

She looked down at her hands as if to inspect a nail, “but his affections were elsewhere, and I thought a marriage to the elder brother might allow me even more influence at their court. Alas, you know how that worked out...”

“I did not know your kingdom was so lacking in resources, is there much dearth in your kingdom?”

Chrissie bristled a little a that. “My kingdom is as good as any. But leading a nation is about more than sitting around congratulating yourself on what a good job you are doing. It is about power, and prestige, and influence…” 

“But why a marriage treaty?”

“I want the whole kingdom; this is the only way to get it. And besides, if you steal something you spend your whole life trying to keep it, and the same would be true if I tried to take your kingdom by any other means. But if we were married I would rule your kingdom without challenge.”

“You think I would just hand the kingdom over?”

“I think you have no choice!” said Chrissie, her voice suddenly turning shrill. Aaron winced a little, perturbed by her sudden change in attitude.

 “I tire of this conversation,” she continued, her voice suddenly calmer. “You know my intentions now. I will keep you here on this lake until you agree to my conditions. How long you stay here is up to you…” and with a dismissive flourish, she walked away from the side of the lake.

Chrissie was obviously very angry with her refusal because he did not see her again for a number of nights. This did not bother him in the slightest as it enabled him, Victoria and Adam to continue to plot ways to escape, with an occasionally unhelpful interjection from Andy. The whole process was incredibly slow, with each of them taking it in turns to fly out in the day, and Aaron making a map of what they saw out of pebbles and leaves.

One night he saw someone he had not expected to. Aaron was trying to calm down after yet another painful transition back into human form when he saw a head of blond hair dart through the trees. His heart leapt in his chest, and he tried to call out but didn’t have enough breath in his lungs.

He needn’t have felt so joyful, as when the figure emerged it was not Robert, but Princess Rebecca.

“I’ve not come to harm you,” she said, “I’ve brought you something.” She held out a loaf of bread to him, “I thought you could do with something more to eat than pond weed…”

“Uh, thanks, I guess…” he said taking it, surprised by the gesture but unsurprised to find that the loaf was stale.

She seemed to notice his disappointment and added, “It might taste better if you eat it when you’re in swan form. I think Princess Victoria and Adam will appreciate some of it too…”

“Why do you keep them here? I mean, I almost understand what Chrissie is doing, but what could you hope to gain by keeping them here…”

“Look, I understand that what I did was foolish,” she said, suddenly defensive. “But I had a plan… I just wanted Robert to…”

Aaron couldn’t help but look at her with sympathy. He knew how painful it was to love someone like Robert.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway,” she continued. “My plan didn’t work. And there’s nothing I can do about them now…”

“How so?”

“I don't know the counterspell, and Chrissie wouldn’t lift the curse even if I asked her to. And the only other way for someone to break it is to swear a vow of everlasting love and prove it to the world. While I don’t doubt that Princess Victoria and Adam love each other, they can’t exactly make such a vow with the both of them being swans…”

“A vow of everlasting love…” Aaron repeated.

Rebecca’s expression suddenly turned cold, “Oh don’t even think about it. How would you ever get Robert to make such a vow? Besides, Robert couldn’t swear to love you. He doesn’t know how!” 

Aaron looked down at his feet, his hope dashed. As much as he hated to admit it, Rebecca did have a point.

“I don’t like seeing you like this, Prince Aaron,” Rebecca said after a pause. “Maybe you should just accept my sister’s proposal. You could live free in your kingdom, be with your family, don’t you want that?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He desperately wanted to see his family and kingdom again. But to throw in his lot with the White sisters, who were both clearly deranged? There was no way he could risk it.

Which is why, when Chrissie came back to the lake the following night he refused her proposal again. And again. And again.

…

Robert sat in the darkness of the library, piles of books and hundreds of papers scattered around him. He’d read everything in the library he could possibly find on animals, but had no clue as to what the Great Beast could be or what the knight's statement that ‘it’s not what it seems’ could possibly mean. Sadly, the knight from Aaron’s retinue had still not awoken after delivering his message, although every effort was being made to revive him.

Robert was flicking through several pages of a book again in the vain hope that he might have missed something the first six times he had read it when Finn came in balancing a pile of worn books on one hand.

“You found them!” Robert exclaimed when he saw the young noble.

“My mother is going to be so mad when she finds out I stole these,” Finn said, setting them down on the table.

“You didn’t steal them; you borrowed them,” replied Robert, snatching one of the books up. “I still don’t understand why she refused to lend them to you.”

“Something about dark power and things that should remain hidden, she said,” Finn shrugged, picking up another of the books. “I don’t know, your highness, I have a really bad feeling about this…”

“Nonsense,” said Robert dismissively. “How can it be bad if it helps us find Prince Aaron? Now isn’t the time to be squeamish, Finn. I know you want to find him just as much as I do…”

That little bit of emotional manipulation did the trick, and Finn was soon flicking through the pages of his mother’s ancient books with the same urgency as Robert.

They worked quietly, the early hours of dawn affording them ample time to work without interruption, although Finn did also have a habit of muttering under his breath as he read which Robert was trying very hard to ignore.

Then, suddenly, a revelation.

“It’s not what it seems!” he exclaimed.

Finn jolted in his seat, “Good grief, what happened?”

“I found it! I know what the Great Beast is!” Robert thrust the book under Finn’s nose, pointing to an illustration showing a mouse next to a bear, “It’s a shape-shifter! It can change its form! This is why we haven’t been able to find any evidence of a large beast along the northern road; there isn’t one there. At least, not always.”

Finn’s eyes scanned the page quickly, reading over the passages that Robert pointed out to him. “I suppose, you could be right…”

“Of course, I am,” Robert said dismissively. “It all makes sense now. And when we find the beast, we’ll find Prince Aaron…”

“Are you sure? I don’t know how… Maybe we should wait…”

“No, we must act now,” Robert snatched the book back. “Go dress for riding and meet me out in the courtyard. There’s no time to waste…”

Robert rushed out to his chambers, ready to throw on the first riding garment he could find. But when he opened the door to his chambers, he found Queen Diane waiting for him.

“Where have you been?” she asked. “I was worried.”

“I was in the library with Finn,” Robert replied honestly.

“Well, I just came to tell you that you need to go to the tailor to have your robes for tomorrow adjusted.”

“Tomorrow? What is happening tomorrow?”

“You don’t remember?” asked Diane incredulously. “But this ball has been planned for weeks!”

“Ah yes, the ball, of course, I remember,” Robert lied. “I just didn’t realise I needed new robes, that’s all. Could I not wear something I already have? I am very busy today?”

“Well, I suppose, if you insist… but what are you doing today that is so important?”

Robert paused for the briefest of moments. He knew he couldn’t say that he was going to look for Aaron; Diane had repeatedly made clear that she thought he should be spending his time on other pursuits. But he also knew that the best type of lie is one that is, for the most part, true.

“I am helping Finn take an aid convoy to the northern villages,” he said. “There has been another animal attack.”

“Well,” said Diane, clearly warring with herself about whether she should critique him for taking risks or applaud him for being so hands on with the kingdom. “As long as you are back in plenty of time for the ball tomorrow…”

“Of course, I will be!” said Robert, with no intention of coming back before he had found Aaron.

Robert found Finn in the courtyard, and they quickly set out, riding silently, too worked up for small talk. They reached the site of the attack on Prince Aaron’s convoy quickly and set about trying to find clues for which direction they should travel in. Finn spotted some branches that had been broken so they followed them into the thicker part of the forest.

After a while, Finn spoke up. “Your highness, I don’t mean to… well, to be rude. But I was wondering how you will know the Great Beast when you see it.”

“Don’t worry Finn; I’ll know.” And Robert believed it. Just as he had known that he would recognise the truth of what the beast was when he saw it in a book, so too he knew that when he saw the animal, he would recognise it for what it was.

“Stay close to me Finn…” Robert said in a hushed voice, notching an arrow into his bow.

…

Aaron and Victoria had decided to fly out together that afternoon. The task of making the map was slowly progressing, but the endless flying was tiring, even a little boring. Flying with Victoria at least meant he had someone to talk to.

A few days ago, Adam had located a valley with a river running through it. Now they were trying to find landmarks along the river to try and identify whether it was one of the rivers that ran towards Robert’s castle. But they could only fly so far each day and the heavy forest that surrounded the valley meant that it was difficult to see if there were any roads or houses nearby.

They had perhaps only half an hour of sunlight left when Aaron heard a sudden and shrill cry.

“Prince Robert!”

Aaron nearly fell out of the sky in shock. It couldn’t be! And yet, perhaps they were nearer Robert’s kingdom then they had all thought. He knew he had to find the voice that had called out for his prince, and so he dove down into the forest without a second thought, barely hearing Victoria’s cries of “Aaron! Wait!” behind him.

…

They moved carefully through the woods, Finn startling every now and then. At one point he even cried out loudly for help, foolishly making their position known. Robert tried to tune him out and began to wish that he had brought one of Finn’s brothers with him instead.

Robert followed a few naturally made paths in the wood as if he was trying to track a deer. The afternoon sunlight was cutting through the trees, casting great long rays of light onto the forest floor. Dust mites danced in the beams and every now and then Robert saw a hint of movement in and out of the sunlight.

Then, off in the distance, Robert saw a great flash of light. He turned immediately towards it and readied his stance in order to shoot. This was clearly the Great Beast! Nothing else could cast such a bright light or mysterious shadow. He was even more convinced of his discovery when he realised that the animal flying towards him was a swan. Of course! A swan was the perfect disguise for an evil beast!

As the animal grew closer, he prepared to shoot. “This one’s for Prince Aaron,” he said under his breath, and let the arrow fly.

Suddenly, another swan flew in front of Robert’s arrow, knocking the original swan out of its path. Both swans then flew up high but Robert gave immediate chase, using the gaps in the tree canopy to follow them, all thoughts forgotten except the pursuit of his prey.

Soon the forest thinned revealing a deep valley with a river running through it. Out in the open, he had a much clearer view of the two birds, and he could see that one of them was much bigger than the other. A male and a female perhaps? It didn’t matter. He notched another arrow and let it fly.

His aim was true, but the swan ducked the arrow at the last moment. Robert had never seen a bird he had hunted behave in such a way ever before, confirming to him that the animal he was following was indeed no natural beast. He notched yet another arrow and was preparing to fire it when suddenly both swans flew up into the sunlight, blinding Robert’s vision. Still, he could just make out their shadows in his view, and he continued to peruse them. The sun would soon be setting, and then he’d be able to take a much clearer aim.  

As the sunlight faded from the sky the swans dove back down into a thicket of forest, briefly disappearing from Robert’s sight. But he followed them anyway, near desperate in his quest. He rushed through the trees, branches tearing at his clothes and face. He at one point became so tangled in an avenue of prickly gorse that he had to abandon his jacket to it. It was ruined now anyway, and he had much more important things to worry about.

All of a sudden, the trees thinned, revealing a large lake. Robert paused for a moment, struck by the lake’s beauty, and held mystified the reflection of the moon in its tranquil waters.

Out of the very corner of his eye, he saw the swan that he had been tracking earlier fly down, and settle gently on the water. He couldn’t believe his luck! Here was his quarry, what he had been searching for all this time, and it was swimming right up towards him.

He notched one of his few remaining arrows and swore that he would not miss this time, when unexpectedly a large and heavy weight hit him on the back of the head, nearly knocking him to the floor. The swan that had just flown into him landed on the bank of the river and hissed at him, almost scolding him. Robert turned and pointed his weapon at this swan instead, and was about to let the arrow fly when he became aware of a bright shining light behind him.

There was a sickening cracking noise that sounded like multiple bones being broken all at once. And then, a deep, agonising cry that seemed to resonate within his ribcage. He turned abruptly, ready to face whatever horror had surely revealed itself on the lake.

And then he saw.

There was Prince Aaron; shining, golden, and very much alive.

 

 


	3. The Black Knight

There has in the history of the world been several kisses of note; there was the kiss on the balcony that Romeo and Juliet shared, the kiss Pygmalion gave his statue without realising she had come to life, and the kiss that woke the Sleeping Beauty from her one-hundred-year slumber. But these kisses all paled in comparison to the kiss that Prince Robert gave Prince Aaron upon finally seeing him alive and well.

Aaron barely knew what was happening. One moment Robert was looking at him with his mouth agape, and the next the Prince had crossed the space between them and dragged him into a kiss that stole the air from his lungs. Robert kissed him with the desperation of a starving man, all tongue and teeth and breathless moans. He paused only for a moment, pulling back to run his eyes over Aaron’s body, as if he couldn’t believe he was really there, before tangling his hands in Aaron’s hair and diving back in for more kisses. Aaron clung onto the lapels of Robert’s shirt, drawing him in closer, as he relished the feeling of Robert’s body pressed tightly against his own.

Robert pulled back a little and traced the lines of Aaron’s face with his hands.

“Aaron, I’ve missed you so much! I never stopped looking for you,” Robert gasped. “Aaron, I was such a fool. I love you!”

“I knew you’d find me,” Aaron said. “I never gave up hope.” He dragged Robert in for another kiss. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to stop kissing the Prince now that he had finally been blessed with the taste of his lips.

Then suddenly, Robert pulled back with an exclaimed “Ouch!” Aaron looked down to see Adam at his feet, the swan having just pecked the tender part of the back of Robert’s leg.

“You can’t stay here!” Aaron said to Robert, recognising Adam’s warning for what it was.

“Can’t stay?” exclaimed Robert, “No! I’m never letting you out of my sight again!”

At that point, Aaron heard a familiar rustle from the side of the lake that announced the arrival of one of the White sisters.

“What is it?” Robert asked.

“It’s not safe for you here,” Aaron replied quickly. “They have me under a spell, and if they find you here…”

“Let them come!”

“No, they’re too powerful, and I won’t have you hurt! You have to leave!”

“Fine,” Robert said, “but you’re coming with me.”

“I can’t.” Aaron shook his head and tried not to let the desperation rise in his voice, “I’ll turn back into a swan,” he explained.

“But there must be some way to break the spell,” responded Robert. “Clearly ‘true love’s kiss’ didn’t work.”

“To break the spell, you must swear a vow of everlasting love…”

“Then I make it!” interrupted Robert.

“You must prove it to the world!”

Robert paused for a moment, “Queen Diane is throwing a ball tomorrow. Come to the castle; I’ll prove it there!”

Robert kissed him again as if to emphasise his point. “Can you find your way back from here?”

“I will always find a way to you,” Aaron swore, and he knew it to be true.

There was a loud cry from the side of the lake where Victoria called out and flapped her wings in warning.

“You must go!” said Aaron, reluctantly pulling away from Robert.

“You’ll be there tomorrow,” Robert affirmed.

Aaron nodded as he struggled to push Robert both to leave the lake and to kiss him again. He was devastated to have his love so near to him and yet so far out of reach.

Robert let Aaron shove him to the edge of the lake, but suddenly he stopped and reached into a pocket.

“This is yours,” he said, handing Aaron the black chess figure they had exchanged before, “as is my heart.” Robert pressed the figure into the palm of Aaron’s hand, forcibly closing his fingers tightly over it, before bringing Aaron’s hand to his mouth and kissing it gently.

“Please, go…” Aaron said, taking it from him, knowing that if Robert didn’t leave right then there would be terrible consequences.

Robert walked away looking over his shoulder for as long as he could as if he were desperate to keep Aaron in his sight. Aaron stood helplessly on the bank of the river and watched him go.  

He barely had a moment to collect his thoughts when a voice called out his name.

“Prince Aaron,” came Chrissie’s voice from another bank of the lake. “I trust I find you well this evening.”

“As well as ever, Your Highness,” Aaron replied, his politeness masking his sarcasm.

“It’s funny; as I was walking here, I could have sworn I heard voices. I thought we might have an intruder.”

“No, there is just me here,” Aaron lied, “and the other swans, of course.” Chrissie looked at him as if she didn’t believe him, so he kept talking. “The voice you heard was me talking to them. You see, I have decided that you are right; a marriage treaty would be the best option for our kingdoms!”

Chrissie’s face broke into a smile; a wide and dangerous thing.

“Oh, Prince Aaron! You really have no idea how happy that would make me,” she exclaimed, “I have a whole range of ideas about the policies we should enact in your kingdom. Of course, we will have to do something about the state of the military, and we should see about making sure that your mother’s family doesn’t have too much influence at court; we can’t have your cousins getting too overmighty now, can we?”

Aaron listened to her, surprised that his plan had worked. All he had to do was keep up the charade for the next day, and then he could make his escape.

“Of course, I have been waiting a long time for you to say that. If I’m honest, I never thought you would agree. And you must admit, this change of heart is all a bit sudden. I don’t suppose it would have anything to do with this!” With a flourish, she produced a torn silver and blue jacket from behind her back. A jacket that was unmistakably Robert’s.

Aaron felt his heart drop.

“You didn’t really think that I would leave this place unprotected, did you?” she asked cruelly. “I knew he was here the moment he set foot on the bank. And I heard all about your lovely little plan. It seems you have everything all thought out!” she exclaimed, the smile back on her face, but this time cruel and mocking.

“Of course, I hate to burst your bubble, but you have forgotten one tiny little detail. Tomorrow night, there is no moon. ”

Aaron turned to look at the sky and nearly cried out at what he saw. Hanging in the sky was only the barest sliver of moon visible.

“I’m afraid that seems to be a lot of very bad timing, doesn’t it?” Chrissie said, barely able to contain her glee. “Poor Prince Aaron invited to the ball, and he can’t go! Well, I suppose you could, but would you want to risk it? After all, don’t the people at Robert’s court _eat_ swans?” she couldn’t contain her mirth any longer, letting out a cackle of glee as Aaron stood and tried desperately not to break down under the weight of such crushing devastation. ~~~~

Chrissie continued, “How sad for Robert that his lover won’t be able to put in an appearance at the ball! Do you think he will be heartbroken? Maybe I should send someone as a replacement.”

She clapped her hands, and in a sudden swirl of bright light, the Lady Rebecca appeared beside her sister.

“Do you mind?” said Rebecca, “I was busy.”

“Oh, you’ll want to be here for this. I’ve found the perfect way for you to have your revenge on Robert for abandoning you. Now you just need to stand still…”

Aaron couldn’t help himself. He lunged forwards, ready to wrap his hands around Chrissie’s scrawny neck and strangle the life out of her. But she was too quick for him. With a wave of her hand, a thick and ropey vine shot out from the forest, wrapping around his ankles and tripping him face first into the water.

He pulled himself up, unwilling to go down without a fight. But more vines reached out and wrapped around his body, lifting him off his feet, and dragging him back to pin him against a tree.

“Nice try Your Highness, but as you can see; I am far too powerful for you,” Chrissie said with a smirk.

He struggled against his bonds, but they held fast, and he was helpless to watch as Chrissie turned to her sister and started reciting a spell.

The lake was full of swirling colours which leapt and danced as Chrissie chanted. Aaron stared on in horror, the sight and smell of magic making him feel queasy even though, for once, the spell wasn’t focused on him. All of a sudden, the lights converged on the point where the younger White sister stood. In one bright flash the blonde-haired woman was gone and in her place stood a man.

A man who was the exact copy of Aaron.

He cried out in anguish as the false Aaron admired his new body and grinned.

Aaron understood their plan with total clarity.

“This will never work!” he cried out, “Robert will discover your falsehood, and he will come looking for me again. You cannot keep us apart!”

“Hmmm, what do you think?” Chrissie said, turning to the false Aaron. “You’ve loved him before. Do you really think Robert will see through this guise? Or do you think that he’ll be so caught up in his public declaration that he won’t even notice the wrong lover is before him?”

“You make a good point,” the other Aaron agreed, and Aaron was shocked to hear that Chrissie had even been able to replicate his voice, “but I don’t see how this helps our plan.”

“Oh, yes you’re right,” agreed Chrissie with glee, “I forgot to mention that little detail, didn’t I? You see, Prince Aaron, if Robert swears his love to someone who isn’t you, the curse I have you under will kill you. Sorry about that.”

Aaron cried out and struggled against his bonds, but they just held him tighter.

“We’ll frame Robert for his murder,” Chrissie said to the other Aaron. “He’ll be too distraught to manage the kingdom, and Aaron’s family will surely attack in revenge. With both kingdoms weakened we can easily make our move…”

The other Aaron nodded, “I won’t let you down, sister.”

“I know you won’t,” Chrissie smiled gently, “but in case things do get tricky, you should take this.” Chrissie snapped her fingers and the little chess piece that Robert had only just given Aaron flew out of his pocket and into her outstretched hand. The other Aaron took it from her and placed it into his own pocket.

“No! Please, don’t do this,” Aaron cried out to both of them. “I don’t care about the kingdom; you can take it. But please, stop this!”

Chrissie only walked over to him and lifted his head with a sharp fingernail underneath his chin.

“Tomorrow, when you lie here dying, I want you to remember that you had the chance to stop all of this. I want you to remember that you caused this. You stole Robert from my sister, you thwarted my plans and, worst of all, you made Robert love you.”

He squeezed his eyes shut so that he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry. She was right, it was his decisions that had lead them all to this point. If only he hadn’t stormed out on Robert after his proposal. If only he had not run away, stopped to think, and actually talked to the man. If only he had recognised Robert’s uncharacteristic awkwardness for what it was; a declaration of love.

Aaron opened his eyes and watched Chrissie and the other Aaron exit the lake a deep resolve set in his heart. He couldn’t let them get away with this. He had to find a way to get to Robert and warn him…

….

Robert burst through the doors of the Great Hall, a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He looked around at all the preparations being made for the ball, noting the rich fabrics that were adorning the walls and the tables being laid with fine ornaments and flowers.

Queen Diane was at one of the tables, arranging the flowers in a pleasing way. But something wasn’t right.

“Your Highness, what are these?” he said to her, addressing the flowers.

“These are roses,” she replied, a brief look of confusion on her face.

“Yes, I know that, but why are they red?” Robert continued.

“What’s wrong with red?”

“Oh, I don’t know, but I feel they should be white. Yes, white roses would be far more elegant, don’t you think?”

Diane’s expression was unchanging, “Are you well, Robert? You seem a bit… distracted.”

“Oh, no I am perfectly well!” Robert replied. “In fact, I am feeling better than ever!”

“And, may I ask what has brought about this change in attitude?”

“You’ll find out soon enough!” Robert said, suddenly distracted by a group of musicians practising in the corner of the room.

The music they were playing was a jovial sort of tune, upbeat and energetic. But while Robert didn’t necessarily dislike the music, it was ringing discordant in his ears.

“No, no, no, this will simply not do,” he said, interrupting the rehearsal. “The music for tonight must be elegant and graceful…like a swan…”

“A swan?” the conductor pulled a face.

“Yes, a swan. Have you ever seen a swan, sir?” Robert elaborated, amused by the conductor’s slightly horrified expression. “If you could ‘play’ a sawn, how would it sound?”

The conductor pointed his baton at one of the trumpet players, who blew a harsh, honking, sound on his instrument. The musicians laughed at their own joke and had Robert been in any other mood than his present state of ecstatic joy he might have been tempted to have a go at them. Instead, he simply laughed along, before reemphasizing that he wanted to music to be, “soft and graceful, calm and serene...”  

He was interrupted before he could elaborate further by an exclaimed, “Prince Robert!”

Robert turned with a sigh to see Finn Barton looking slightly harassed, with twigs in his hair and mud on his clothes.

“Good grief, what happened to you?” said Robert.

“You abandoned me!” the younger man replied in a hushed tone. Clearly, he didn’t want to be overheard sassing a member of the royal family. “One moment you were there and the next you were gone!”

“Ah, yes,” Robert said regretfully. He supposed it was a bit harsh of him to have run off without him. In all honesty, he had simply forgotten that Finn was there.

“Something caught my eye,” he explained, “and in my desperation to find Prince Aaron I did not realise that you were not with me.”

“Did you find him?” Finn asked eagerly. At that moment, the Lady Emma Barton appeared and immediately began fussing over the state of her youngest and most precious son. She immediately whisked him away to be cleaned up before Robert could even attempt to explain what he had seen. Not that it mattered. The whole court would know soon enough.   

Robert continued to move around the Great Hall changing and adding to the decorations and foodstuffs as he saw fit. He wanted everything to be perfect. He’d messed up his first proposal to Aaron so badly that he could barely believe his own actions. But this time, everything would be perfect. Robert was a delighted combination of nervous and excited. He couldn’t wait for the night to come. After all, from then on, everything would change…

…

Aaron struggled helplessly in his bonds all night. Every time he felt one of the knotty vines loosen its grasp a little, the others that held him drew tighter until at points he could hardly breathe. The morning brought no relief; his transition back to swan form was as painful as ever, and as his body shrunk so did the vines, leaving him no opportunity to escape.

The other swans struggled with him, Adam and Andy pulling at the knots and Victoria searching for a sharp stone that they could try to use as a knife.  

But when the sun began to fade from the sky Aaron felt all of his strength leave his body.

“Give it up,” he said breathlessly to the other swans, “it’s hopeless.”

The three of them stopped in amazement, clearly surprised at Aaron’s defeat.

“Mate, you can’t give up,” Adam argued. “There has to be something we can do.”

“These vines aren’t getting any looser; we’ve tried everything!”

“There has to be something else!” exclaimed Adam, “You can’t give in; you’ll die!”

“No, Aaron is right, we should give up,” Victoria said causing the others to all turn to look at her in surprise. “There’s nothing to be done. We should all sit here, and wait to see what happens.”

“He’ll swear the vow to Rebecca, that’s what will happen!” Aaron cried out, unable to keep the devastation from his voice.

“Of course he will! He’ll take one look at her disguise and swear away his love. He won’t stop to think about why you’ve suddenly had a massive personality transplant. He won’t stop and think it’s strange that the way you walk and the way that you talk has changed. No, he’ll just take one look at the surface and that will be that!”

“Vic…” sighed Adam, clearly not wanting her to become upset.

“If that is what you really think about my brother then it is clear that you never loved him at all!” she continued.

The lake was silent for a minute.

“What?” said Aaron.

“If your opinion of my brother is so low as to think he would fall for this trick, then I don’t know why you claimed to love him in the first place. If you’re so willing to give up, roll over, and let this happen then it is clear that your union would have been a disaster. Where is your fight, Aaron? Where is your honour? Why are you so willing to abandon Robert, and yourself, to such a fate?”

Aaron took a deep breath in and out. What Victoria had said was true; he was being defeatist. And he should fight for Robert, but how could he when the situation was so overwhelming?

“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted.

“We keep trying,” replied Victoria. “We will break you free, and we will find some way of letting Robert know of the danger.”

Adam nodded his head in agreement, “Whatever happens, you will not die tonight.”

As Aaron watched the very last of the sunlight fade from the sky he pulled with all his might, and with one great discordant twang, one of the vines that held him suddenly snapped.

…

The ball was as lavish as any that had ever been thrown in Robert’s kingdom. Had Robert not been so distracted by the impending arrival of his beloved he might have stopped to wonder why such an event was being held. After all, it was no-one’s birthday. There was no anniversary or any other reason to celebrate. And he might have noticed just how many young and attractive persons of royal and noble lineage Queen Diane was trying to surreptitiously introduce him to.

Robert had been trained from birth for such meetings, and he had always been the most charming of the Sugden royal siblings. But while his manners were impeccable and his conversation sparkling, Queen Diane still noticed how often his eyes strayed to the doors of the Great Hall.

“Are you well, Robert?” she asked after another introduction, this time to a handsome noble from a kingdom lying south to theirs.

“I am, Your Highness, it’s just…” Robert decided he may as well be honest, “I have invited someone very special to this ball, and I am anxious for them to arrive.”

“Well, you must let me know the moment they do,” Diane replied.

She seemed to take their exchange as an indication that Robert wanted to be left to his own devices and Robert was thankful that she left him alone to pace the length of the ballroom in peace. As the hours wore on his ability to concentrate on being a good host steadily waned. What if something had happened to Aaron? What if his captor had discovered their plan?

Robert was just at the point of giving into despair when the doors of the Great Hall finally opened.

There stood the most breath-taking sight Robert had ever seen.

Prince Aaron was dressed in robes of the deepest black velvet. The colour complemented his hair and stubble to perfection, and yet somehow also made his blue eyes shine even brighter. As he elegantly stepped forwards into the hall Robert was sure that he and the rest of the court all held their breath, so stunned were they by the gorgeous sight.

Robert was spurred into action, unable to keep himself from his lover any longer. He rushed over to him, took one of his hands in his own, delighting in the texture of the skin of his fingers. He slipped his other hand to rest at the small of Aaron’s back and knew instantly that he was home.

“I am so glad you are here; I was terrified that you wouldn’t make it,” Robert admitted.

“Nothing could keep me away,” Aaron replied, leaning in closer to Robert’s embrace, resting his forehead against Robert’s.

“They are all staring at us,” said Aaron after a minute of letting Robert hold him still and firm.

“Let them look.”

“Or, maybe we should give them something to look at?”

Robert broke the embrace, completely surprised by Aaron’s forwardness.

“I mean,” Aaron continued with a blush, “maybe we should dance?”

Robert resumed his hold on Aaron, although he was a little surprised, “You never dance,” he said.

“Love makes people change,” Aaron replied smoothly, letting Robert lead him to the middle of the hall, “I can learn to like dancing if it will please you.”

The music, as requested, was slow and elegant, and Aaron and Robert moved together with the sort of grace that only comes with years of practice together. Robert was tempted to simply give into the pleasures of finally having Aaron in his arms. But try as he might, he could not help but feel a nagging doubt.

Maybe this was all too easy? Maybe seeing Aaron so confident in a social setting had thrown him? But the more he thought about it, the more he realised, the confident young man that danced so elegantly with him was not the same man who quietly refused his marriage proposal in the very same hall.

“Are you well?” Aaron asked. “You look a little flushed.”

“It is the excitement of seeing you again,” Robert admitted. “But I think it is too warm in here. Would you care to join me in the gardens?”

“But, what about your guests?” Aaron replied.

“Oh, they will be fine. Besides, I want to show you the spot where the flowers I once sent you are blooming.”

Robert could sense a reluctance in Aaron, but he followed Robert outside nonetheless.

The air outside was cooler, in part due to the lack of clouds that night. Robert indulged for a moment in watching the way the starlight illuminated Aaron’s cheekbones. His future husband was so handsome!

“We mustn’t be away from your guests too long,” Aaron warned.

“I don’t remember you ever being so eager to be at a party,” Robert replied.

“I’m sorry, I guess I am being selfish,” Aaron confessed.“I want this spell broken quickly, so we can start the rest of our lives together.”

Robert caught his hands around Aaron’s waist, “I understand. I feel that too. But we have waited this long to be together, a few moments longer surely won’t hurt.”

Robert picked a path that lead to one of the wider parts of the garden where flower beds mixed with large flowering bushes and tall trees. It was a vista that was ever changing, and Robert remembered that it was a place Aaron had spent a lot of his time as a teenager, mucking around with Victoria and Adam in the hot summer months.

“See, our flowers are in bloom,” Robert observed.

“Our flowers?” Aaron laughed, “I didn’t know you were so sentimental!”

“I could say the same thing about you!” Robert replied, “You have no idea what seeing you wearing the flowers I had sent you in your lapel did to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off you, or the bloom in your pocket. Come, we should pick some, and then go back to the castle.”

Aaron eagerly followed him deeper into the flower beds but seemed to hesitate. That nagging sensation deepened even further. Perhaps it was the effects of the spell Aaron was under, but something was not right.

Wanting to test his theory further, Robert unfolded the small pocket knife that he always carried with him and passed it to Aaron. “You should cut this bouquet since I cut the first one.”

Aaron hesitated again, uncertainty in his features. He seemed to hover near a bush of white roses which was strange as the amaranth were growing in a completely different part of the garden.  

“Do you not remember? The flowers I sent you, they were important to us. I am very disappointed that you have forgotten.”

“Of course not,” Aaron said reassuringly, “I just want to pick you the finest flower.”

“Then why are you looking at the roses?”

“Because they…”

“I tire of this game,” Robert interrupted. “You are not Prince Aaron.”

“What?” Aaron replied, panic all over his face.

“You are an imposter,” Robert continued. “I demand you tell me where the real Prince is.”

“But, I am right here,” Aaron cried. “Look at me? Do you not see the Prince?”

“Trickery,” Robert said dismissively.

“Then listen to my voice. Do you not hear me? Touch my skin! Do I not feel as real to you as I ever did? Taste my lips, and know that I am yours.”

Robert felt his heart wrench. He wished desperately that he could believe those pretty words, but he knew that they were false.

“Look,” said Aaron drawing something from his pocket, “did you not give me this, and promise me your heart? Or was that a lie?”

Robert stared at the black chess piece in Aaron’s hand.

“I promised my heart to Prince Aaron. You are not him.”

Robert turned on his heal, aiming to make his way over to the stables so that he could ride out to the lake and try to find the real Aaron. But the false Aaron caught him and forced him back against his body, pressing their lips together.

There was a sharp and shrill cry somewhere off in the distance. Robert broke away from false-Aaron’s clutches and saw a swan hurtling towards the garden.

“Aaron!” he cried out, convinced the descending bird was his true love, “I made no vow! I know this is a trick!”

The swan seemed to hear and understand him, swooping again, as if to launch an attack on the false Aaron.

“Enough!” a voice called out with all the power of a crack of thunder. Robert’s eyes widened in horror as an arrow flew through the air, striking the swan through one of his wings. The swan fell out of the sky, and Robert darted forwards as if to catch it, but somehow the bird managed to right itself before it reached the ground. It turned in the air and flew north, in the direction of the lake.    

Robert turned back to false Aaron only to find him gone. He didn’t have enough time or presence of mind to worry about that, though. Instead, he ran through the garden and straight to the stables.

The ride to the lake where Aaron had been trapped was thankfully shorter than he remembered. He abandoned his horse and cut through the undergrowth with his sword, enraged by anything that blocked his path to the lake.

Finally, he made it through to the water. But the joy he felt at seeing the lake he was crushed when he saw Aaron lying in a crumpled heap at the side of the bank. He rushed over to him, dropped to his knees and cradled his limp body in his arms.

“I’m so sorry Aaron!” he gasped, his throat strangled with tears. “I should have left the castle the moment I realised it wasn’t you. I wasted too much time! I’ll never forgive myself!”

He brushed his hand through the soft curls of Aaron’s hair. His love looked so peaceful, so beautiful, that Robert couldn’t keep the words from spilling out. “I love you, I swear it!”

He grasped Aaron’s hand, intending to draw it to his face so that he might kiss it once more, only to find the black chess piece still clutched within it.

“No!” Robert gasped, as Aaron opened his eyes and smiled at him.

“Sorry lover,” said Aaron with a smirk. In the distance, Robert could hear an evil cackle and the desperate squawking of a bird.

Robert surged to his feet. He couldn’t believe what he had done. He had sworn his love away to the false Aaron anyway!

The lake was filled with a dangerous swirling mist, and in the middle of it stood Queen Chrissie of the White kingdom, holding a crying, bleeding swan in her arms.

“So, it seems you fell for our trick after all Prince Robert,” she said triumphantly as the bird bit and hissed at her. “You always did think you were far more clever than you were.”

“The vow I made was for him! Let him go!” Robert cried, “Aaron has done nothing to you. Why must you hurt him so?”

“Why must I? I think you’ll find it was your own stupidity that caused this. You are the one who swore your love away. But then I guess making and breaking vows is something you do with such regularity, I’m surprised you can keep up with them all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You swore to help my kingdom!” Chrissie shouted.

“You swore you loved me.” Robert turned to see Princess Rebecca standing on the spot where he had abandoned the false-Aaron’s body.

“Rebecca! You were in on this mad plan?” he gasped.

“Are you surprised Prince Robert?” she responded tartly. “Do you think no one else can be cunning?”

“I didn’t know you could be so cruel,” he spat at her. “Please. Let him go…” he pleaded again, turning to Chrissie.

She only laughed at him, “Here’s an idea, why don’t you come and get him?”   

Suddenly a blur of white fell out of the sky, smacking into Queen Chrissie with considerable force. She gasped and dropped Aaron, who flapped his injured wing awkwardly in an attempt to escape. Robert saw two more swans appear out of the sky, aiming for Chrissie as the other swan flapped and pecked at her.

Robert saw his opportunity. Rebecca had rushed to help her sister, but Robert grabbed her instead, holding her in his grasp, his sword pressed to her neck.

“Stop this! Now!” he cried out.

“Oh, come now Robert, you wouldn’t really hurt me,” Rebecca said. Her tone was cold but Robert could tell she was surprised by the way she struggled against his grip.

“Let my sister go!” cried out Chrissie, dishevelled by the swans attacking her.

“Not until you reverse your spell and cure Prince Aaron,” Robert countered.

“Never!”

“So be it,” Robert raised his sword high and brought it down with force, striking Rebecca on the head and knocking her unconscious. At Chrissie’s anguished cry he dove towards her, only to be stopped again with magic.

“You’ll pay for this!” she screeched.

Queen Chrissie reached up and clapped her hands above her head. A great eruption of light exploded where she was standing. When it cleared Robert saw she had transformed into a great and terrible beast.

The beast had great claws on its feet and long legs that reached up to a powerful, furred body as black as ink. Huge, leathery wings expanded out from a scale covered back and a pair of powerful jaws containing row upon row of sharp jagged teeth exuded toxic breath. The beast let out a petrifying cry as it reached up and stretched its body revealing its awesome height. For once in his life, Robert was terrified.

The prince rushed forward, sword outstretched, eager to land the first blow, but the beast easily knocked him aside with one swipe of its wing. Robert’s sword skidded away from him as the beast leant down snapping at him with its teeth, but Robert thought fast and flung a handful of dirt in its eyes. The beast reared away from him and Robert scrambled to his feet and darted after his weapon, grabbing it and swinging widely, landing a glancing blow on the beast’s wing.

Robert recovered his stance and held his sword aloft. “I won’t let him die,” he threatened. But the beast just seemed to grin at him before taking to the sky in one mighty sweep of its wings. Robert cursed, unable to see it anymore, suddenly aware of how vulnerable he was.

With a great roar, the beast came hurtling back out of the sky, swooping low to knock Robert off his feet. His sword was caught in the jaws of the animal, who flung it into the lake as Robert tried to rid himself of the beast’s powerful grip. His hand fell upon a heavy stone which he slammed against the foot pinning him to the ground, causing the beast to shriek out in pain. But rather than letting him go the beast simply gripped him harder and lifted him up off the ground.

They climbed higher in the sky as Robert tried desperately to dislodge the beast’s claws from his shoulders. Then, having reached a height way above the earth the beast suddenly let him go. Robert plummeted to the ground with a gasping cry and tried to brace for impact, only to feel the beast swoop and catch him in its clutches once more.

The beast flung him against a tree, which momentarily stunned Robert. But he still had the presence of mind to search for a weapon. With all of the strength he had, he ripped one of the branches from the tree and swung it wildly at the beast. It shrieked at him and retaliated by striking Robert with its claws, knocking him from the tree.

Robert landed on the hard ground with a painful thud. His breath was knocked from his body and his vision blurred with dizziness. He tried to push himself back to his feet, but he found his strength had left him.

He could hear the beast flying overhead and knew that it must be preparing to strike him again. Suddenly, he heard the great clunk of a weapon landing by his head and felt a swan pecking at his hair. He reached out and grasped the cold, wet, steel of his sword in his hand. The swan must have fished it out of the lake and brought it to him!

Robert gathered his strength. Watching the great beast from the corner of his eye he waited for it to swoop down on him again. As it reached out to strike with its claws he turned on his back and thrust his sword into the creature’s breast.

There was a fearsome scream as the beast reared back from the blow Robert had struck. The place where Robert had wounded it erupted with light and the beast dropped dramatically out of the sky, hitting the surface of the lake in another explosion of light.

As his vision cleared Robert saw that both the beast and Chrissie were gone. The whole lake seemed brighter as if her magic had previously tainted it somehow. Rebecca was still lying where he had left her but now, slightly further off, lay a white swan. The swan’s body was shockingly white against the ground, apart from a great stain of red that spread from an arrow wound on their bird’s wing.

Robert stepped gently towards it, only to nearly be thrown off his feet by a sudden blast of magic. Bright lights converged on the swan’s body in a great wave. The air crackled and sparkled as the swan’s body was consumed by light. Then all of a sudden it was gone, and in the swan’s place lay the broken and bleeding body of Prince Aaron.

Robert rushed over to him and held him in his arms.

“Oh Aaron,” he sobbed, “my love, what have I done?” He touched his fingers to where Aaron was bleeding. The wound was on his forearm and was deep as if the arrow that had struck him had pierced him the whole way through. Aaron’s features were ashen and his skin was cold. There was no life there.

“I love you so Aaron, and I was such a fool not to realise. I love your kindness, your humour, your intelligence. I love your integrity, your compassion and honesty. I love the way your eyes crease when you smile. I love the face you pull when you are trying not to laugh. You lit up my world when you entered it Aaron, and I don’t know what I am going to do without you in it.”

He buried his face in Aaron’s neck and let the tears flow freely, “the vow I made was for you, Aaron. I swear. I swear I’ll be faithful. I’ll put you first. I’ll always make you happy and keep trying to be better for you. You deserve the whole world Aaron, and I would give it to you if I could. But I can’t unless you wake up. Just please, wake up.”

He sat there, awkwardly cradling Aaron’s body in his arms, wondering how he was ever going to stand and leave this cursed place. He’d have to carry the body back with him. He would anoint Aaron with flowers on the way, to go with his tears. Until then, he just wanted to wait and embrace his beloved a little longer.

“Why are you crying,” a voice asked groggily.

“Because he’s dead. And I love him, and I never had the chance to prove it to him,” Robert replied through a fresh wave of tears.

“Say it again.”

“I love Prince Aaron. I love him with my whole heart.”

“I love you too,” replied the voice.

Robert lifted his head, not daring to hope.

Bright blue eyes stared back at him as he traced his eyes over Aaron’s (beautiful, smiling, alive!) face.

“Aaron!” Robert cried out before immediately crashing his lips to the prince’s. Aaron smiled against his lips and tangled his own fingers in Robert’s hair. When they came up for breath both of them were shaking, caught somewhere between laughter and tears.

“What happened?” Aaron asked once they were finished reacquainting themselves with the taste of each other’s mouths.   

“Chrissie, the Great Beast, I defeated her. Once she died you changed back to human form.”

“I did? But what about the others?”

“What others?”

Aaron suddenly scrambled to his feet. “You don’t know?” he said breathlessly. “No, I never had the chance to explain. Victoria, Adam, and Andy were all cursed like me. They must be here too!”

Robert barely had time to process what Aaron had said before they were both tackled by three people he had never dared hope he would ever see again.

There was too much joy to be had all at once; Robert barely knew what to do with himself. Luckily, Victoria remained practical as ever.

“Rebecca is awake,” she said. “Andy and I took the liberty of restraining her. She didn’t use her magic on us so we think it might have died when Chrissie did.”

Robert was too busy hugging his sister to really worry about what she had said. Instead, he threw his arms around his family and thanked whoever was listening that he finally had them all together at last.

…

Their return to Robert’s kingdom was treated with elated astonishment. A whole week of feasts was thrown in their honour and everywhere there was joy and music and dancing. Robert walked around the castle with both a permanent grin on his face, with Prince Aaron nearly always on his arm.

A delegation from Aaron’s kingdom visited leading to an incredibly tearful Queen Chasity hugging her son for a whole hour before finally letting him go. Aaron complained that she had given him cramp, but Robert only smirked and promised to massage and kiss it better later.

And Robert did get to make his vow before the whole world. The pomp and ceremony of their union were necessary given their station, but while Robert had anticipated that Aaron would spend the whole event uncomfortable and ill at ease, it was Robert who wore his nerves written all over his face.

Later, as the celebrations wore on, he found Aaron wandering about the gardens.

“My husband!” Robert called out to him with delight.

Aaron turned and graced Robert with the most beautiful smile he had seen in his life, “I’m sorry for sneaking off, I just needed some air.”

“Take all the time you need,” replied Robert, ready to back off if his husband needed some space. But Aaron took his hand in his and walked with him further into the garden.

They stayed silent, content to simply be with each other, until Aaron said, “I never dared hope that I would get to have this. To be here with you and to be so happy.”

“Me neither,” Robert confessed. “I will always regret that it took me so much time to realise just how much you mean to me. But now we have all our lives to live happily ever after.”

Aaron stopped at a little bench that was protectively sheltered with large sprawling vines and delicate red flowers. He pulled Robert down to sit with him, and Robert relaxed into his embrace. He liked this spot; if anyone came looking for them the leaves of the vine would keep them well hidden. Here they could just sit and be together for a while in their own little corner of paradise.

They could also kiss, which is something Robert gratefully fell into doing.

Robert kissed Aaron until he was sure their lips were swollen. Indeed, for a moment he was scared that he had hurt his husband as Aaron pulled away and looked regretfully at him.

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Robert asked.

“Oh, no, not at all,” Aaron assured him. “It’s just, there’s something I’ve been meaning to give back to you. Something I once stole.”

“Is it my heart?” Robert joked. “You know that it’s yours now, right?”

“No,” Aaron said with a smile and a blush. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the little black chess figure they had exchanged so many times before. Robert took it from his husband’s outstretched palm.

“I once said I would have it fixed for you,” Aaron reminded him. “The offer still stands.”

“No,” Robert said firmly. “It may be broken, but I wouldn’t change it at all.”

In the garden, surrounded by the bright flowers, Prince Robert and Prince Aaron entwined their limbs, lives, and hearts together. They held each other in the gentle breeze as the moon rose over their heads.

 

THE END  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank Lilly, Anne, and Anglea who all read parts of this fic in draft and gave amazing and insightful comments. I’d also like to offer a special thanks to Bess who had to cope with me at both my highest and lowest and did so with grace, poise, and kindness. Any mistakes remaining are entirely my own.  
> I had such a blast writing this fic, and I’m a bit devastated that it’s over! But I am glad that I managed to get it posted just in time for my birthday!  
> I know fandom is feeling a little sore at this moment, so I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read my fic. It means so much to me know that people out there have enjoyed this project that started as a mad experiment to see if I could actually write this insane AU. I hope I have, at least to some extent, pulled it off.  
> Come scream at me on tumblr. I’m iwillsendapostcard there. And to anyone who follows me already, you will be thrilled to know that I will finally stop talking about this fic!


End file.
